Stoker&#39;s hoe.



W. E. SHEBHY.

STOKERS HOE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNEM, 1910.

Patented N0v.8, 1910.

UNITE WILLIAM E. SI-IEEI-IY, OF NEWFIELDS, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

STOKERS HOE.

Application filed June 24, 1910. Serial No. 568,693.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SHEEHY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newfields, county of Rockingham, State of New Hampshire,have invented an Improvement in Stokers Hoes, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to a stokers hoe and has for one of its objectsto provide a novel hoe which can be made less expensively and yet bestronger and more durable than such implements are now commonly made.

Another object is to provide a hoe of such a construction that when thehead or blade of the hoe is worn out, it can be readily removed from thehandle and a new blade placed thereon without throwing away any part ofthe handle.

I will first describe one embodiment of my invention and then point outthe novel features thereof in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a hoe made inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the headof the hoe before the handle is applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a front viewof the hoe head; Fig. 4 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 5 is a top Viewof the end of the handle which is connected to the head; Fig. 6 is asection on the line mw, Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a section through the hoe headand handle on substantially the line y-y, Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a top planView of Fig. 7

One common way of making hoes of this class is to forge the hoe head andthe portion of the stem and handle in one piece and then to weld thelong handle to the stem. One objection to this method is its expense.Another method is to make the handle wit-h a foot at the end and then toweld this foot directly to the front face of the blade of the hoe, butthe disadvantage of this method is that the welded joint is apt to breaklong before the hoe is worn out.

In making my improved hoe I make the blade 3 with a rib 4 which isintegral there with and which forms with the front face of the blade asocket 5 adapted to receive a foot 6 formed on the end of the stem orhandle 7. The back face 8 of the socket is formed in the same plane asthe front face of the blade 3 and the rib 4 is formed with a slot 9which is open at the upper side of the rib and which terminates in twohorns 10 at either side of the slot. The head 3 is also formed on itsupper edge with the projection 11 situated at the back side of thesocket 5. This socket is preferably open at the bottom. A blade of thisshape can readily be cast1 and I will preferably make it of cast steeThe handle 7 is provided at its end with the foot portion 6 having ashape to fit the socket 5, that is, said foot portion has the flat face12 to engage the flat face 8 of the socket, and in other respects it isof a shape to accurately fill said socket. Said foot is also formed withthe beveled portion 13 near its top, which beveled portion standsopposite the projection 11. The stem of the handle 7 is of a size to fitthe slot 9 and enters the slot when the parts are assembled. Said handleis cut away on two sides near the top, as at 15, and the foot 6 willpreferably be provided with a groove or indentation 16 extendingtransversely thereof. The head is fastened to the handle by firstheating said head to a red heat or any suitable temperature, and theninserting the foot into the socket with the stem 7 occupying the slot 9,said foot and stem preferably being cold. After the stem and. foot havebeen driven firmly into the socket, the horns 10 are swaged over ontothe portions 15 of the stem, as shown in Figs. -1 and 8, and theprojection 11 is also swaged or folded over to overlap the inclinedsurface 13 of the head. The handle is also formed with the beveled orinclined surface 29 at either side of the foot and the horns are swagedover onto said surfaces as well as over onto the surfaces 15 and thussaid horns grip the handle and foot at the same time. It is intendedalso that the rib 4 shall be struck opposite the groove 16 so as toforce the material of the rib into the groove, and to facilitate thisoperation, I may if desired make the rib with a bulb or swell l7opposite the groove 16. This operation of swaging the projections 10 and11 over onto the handle can be easily accomplished when the head is at asufficient heat. The head is by this means firmly secured to the handleand a joint is produced which will not give way even under the mostexacting conditions. The rib 4 embracing the foot 6 prevents the handlefrom being drawn away from the head 3 and the bending of the projections10 and 11 prevents the foot from being with- 1 end thereof so that thefoot will tend to ex- I be heated and then the foot may be driven drawnfrom the socket. Since the head is l hot when. the foot is inserted intothe socket, the cooling of the head will cause the side walls of thesocket to shrink onto the foot and thus firmly hold the latter in place,

It will be noted that the foot 6 is long enough to project through thebottom of the socket, as shown at 18, and this is an advantage for tworeasons. When the hoe is being used in the furnace for stoking purposes,the heat of the fire will be readily transmitted into the foot throughthe exposed pand before the head is thoroughly heated, which operationwill only tighten the joint. Moreover whenever the blade of the hoebecomes too worn for further use the head may up from the socket bystriking the lower projecting end 18 of the foot.

In practice I propose to make a comparatively short stem 7 with the foot6 and then to weld to the end ofthe stem a handle of suflicient length.I propose to do this because a short stem 7 with the foot thereon can bereadily drop forged and after the stem has been secured to the hoe head,a handle of any desired length can be readily welded to the stem.

Although I have described my invention as it would be used in connectionwith a stokers hoe, yet the same construction might be embodied in otherimplements of a similar nature, and I do not wish to be limited to thisparticular tool.

The head of the hoe is shown as reinforced so as to strengthen thejoint.

Having fully described my invent-ion, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a stokers hoe, the combination with ahead having on its front face a rib forming with said face a socket openat the top and bottom, said. rib having a slot therein communicatingwith said socket, of a handle having a foot occupying said socket, and astem which extends through said slot, said rib having horns on eitherside of the slot which are bent over to embrace the handle.

2. In stokers hoe, the combination with a head having on its front facea rib forming with said face a socket open at the top and bottom, saidrib having-a slot therein communicating with said socket, of a handlehaving a foot occupying said socket, and a stem which extends throughsaid slot, said rib having horns ,on either side of the slot which arebent over to embrace the handle and said hoe head having at its top aproj ection which is bent over to overlie the top of the foot.

3. In a stokers hoe, the combination with a head formed with a socket onits front face 3 which is open atrthe top and which has a slotcommunicating therewith and horns on either side of the slot, of ahandle having a foot occupying said socket, and a stem which extendsthrough the slot, said horns being bent over to embrace the handle.

4. In a stokers hoe, the combination with a head formed with a socket onits front face which is open at the top and which has a slotcommunicating therewith and horns on either side of the slot, of ahandle having I I a foot occupying said socket, and a stem which extendsthrough the slot, said horns being bent over to embrace the handle, saidhead also having at its top a projection which is bent over to overliethe top of the foot. 5. In a stokers hoe, the combination with a headformed on its front face with a socket open at the top and bottom andwith a slot leading to the socket, of a handle having a foot occupyingsaid, socket and exposed through the open bottom thereof, and a stemwhich extends through the slot, said head having an integral portionthereof bent over WILLIAM E. SHEEHY.

Witnesses BERTHA F. I-IEUsnR, FREDERICK S. GREENLEAF.

